Mom was admitted for abdominal pain. She spent 2 days on the floor as doctors and staff tried to figure out the cause of her pain. Then mom underwent surgery and was taken to the ICU for recovery.

My mom is a retired kindergarten teacher, who dedicated over 30 years to teaching children. She has 5 children and is about to celebrate her 50th wedding anniversary. My mom has been battling metastatic colon cancer. She has endured surgeries, chemotherapy, and endless pokes and prods over the years. Mom has an excellent team at the Mayo Clinic who have helped us navigate her journey. As I type this nomination, my eyes well up with tears of happiness because mom is showing enormous signs of improvement. I am overjoyed!

When I reflect on the care mom received from Beth, many words come to mind. Kind, compassionate, diligent, and caring are only a few. Although mom was heavily sedated and on a ventilator, Beth still communicated with her every time she came in to administer medication, check vital signs, rotate, and all of the lists of endless tasks she was to do. When mom showed signs of discomfort, Beth would rub mom’s head or arm, apologize for the discomfort she was enduring, and reassure her that everything was fine. Beth treated my mom as if she was caring for her own mother.

As mom's caretaker, I often ask too many questions, not for Beth. She would kindly answer all of my questions and oftentimes would peek her head into the room just to see if something had changed or if I needed anything. I wanted to give Beth something. I thought, a new pen, flowers, maybe gift her one of mom's rocks that she liked to paint in her spare time. I couldn't decide. When I saw that I could nominate Beth for a DAISY Award, I didn't hesitate. She deserves more than the award! Thank you, Beth! I am sure that the world is full of great nurses, but you are special!